Rose's performance left Ronan speechless.
He knew that Rose being able to fight an Orc head-on didn't mean her Abilities had already reached the standard for this floor. Instead, her Skills, technique, and strategy worked together well enough to let her fight at this level.
White Saint, Steel Knight, Pure White Maiden, and Hand of Protection.
These four Skills were simple and direct. They raised her Abilities, strengthened her defense, and most importantly, reduced damage without any special condition.
Simple effects were often the most useful. With the support of these four Skills, combined with Rose's own technique, strategy, and combat experience, she was able to fight Orcs head-on. She even looked like she still had room to spare.
Watching Rose's performance, Ronan began to think.
He remembered when he first teamed up with Jeanne to explore the 10th Floor. Back then, Ronan had three strong effects active:
The double Endurance and Mind provided by Demon King Emblem;
The damage reduction from Magic Shield & Guard;
And the performance boost to weapons and armor from Sharp Mind!
With that much support on him, what reason was there to back down? They were just monsters!
At that time, he had confidently taken a stance, ready to face an Orc head-on.
A few seconds later...
The result wasn't an easy victory. Instead, he barely did any damage and got smashed over the head by the Orc's club.
Jeanne had been focused on fighting multiple enemies at once. Because she couldn't look after him for just a few seconds, Ronan was beaten until his head was covered in bumps. He had to run away in a sorry state. That battle was a perfect example of how not to fight.
After remembering that painful experience, he looked at Rose again.
Facing the heavy strikes of an Orc swinging a thick wooden club, she stood firm. No matter how hard the enemy attacked, her shield steadily deflected the impact. Her body didn't even shake. The Orc couldn't hurt her at all.
Right before Ronan's eyes, in less than half a minute of fighting, Rose used her Skills to strengthen her Abilities. Combined with her polished technique and combat strategy, she easily killed the target.
An Orc's strength, according to Guild data, was in the C to B rank. That placed its strength roughly in the 600 to 799 range. On top of that, Orcs had the tough bodies of large monsters and the extra force that came from using heavy objects as weapons. Because of this, it was very hard for adventurers with lower Abilities to fight them. Most couldn't even break through their defense.
Even though Rose's Abilities had improved after half a month of training with Jeanne, she was still a bit behind where Ronan had been back then.
It was a painful comparison. The difference between Ronan then and Rose now didn't hurt his body, but it hurt his pride.
Jeanne pulled her blood-stained spear out of a monster and flicked her wrist to shake off the blood.
She turned her head, her pale purple eyes glancing at Ronan. A teasing smile appeared on her lips.
That look made her meaning very clear: You're weak, but you still love to show off.
"..."
This was an insult. A direct insult.
Being silently teased by his own partner, especially with Lorie and Aura watching the whole time, how could Ronan endure this?
His expression darkened. He glanced at the white mist ahead and suddenly swung his staff, pointing it sharply at an unlucky monster emerging from the fog.
"Fireball!"
Ronan gritted his teeth as he shouted the name of the Magic. The fire at the tip of the staff compressed rapidly and shot through the air.
Aura and Lorie's eyes widened. Their gazes locked onto the bright light cutting through the thick fog.
BOOM!
A split second later, the fire expanded. A heavy blast shook the passage.
The high-temperature fireball reflected Ronan's current mood.
It exploded against the unlucky monster.
The shockwave and heat swallowed it instantly.
Before it could even scream, the large monster was burned into charred remains.
Even the magic stone at its core was destroyed by the force of the explosion. Nothing was left.
Is this the new Magic Ronan learned? The power is scary. Aura was protected behind Ronan. She stared at his back, and a strange feeling began to rise inside her.
Aura liked strong and reliable people. As an Elf, she was no exception.
"Tch." Lorie watched the violent scene. She gripped her backpack straps tightly and pouted. In a voice just loud enough for Ronan to hear, she muttered, "Bleh. A grown man getting angry because he's embarrassed. How shameful..."
Ronan: "..."
This brat!
She was cute, but that mouth of hers was a real problem.
He suppressed the urge to give her a flick on the forehead. With a dark expression, he pretended not to hear her. He looked into the white mist.
There, more tall, dark shadows were appearing one after another. Their low growls joined together into a heavy wall of sound.
Ronan narrowed his eyes and smiled coldly.
"Sorry, guys. Looks like today isn't your lucky day."
He pulled up his mask. It covered the lower half of his face, leaving only his eyes glowing with blue magical light.
He turned and dropped into a half-squat. His left hand was relaxed in front of him, and his right hand gripped his staff tightly. The tip pointed forward as Mind gathered inside the staff's gem, making a low humming sound. He took a combat stance.
Clang! Clang! Boom!
In front of him, Rose and Jeanne moved through the group of monsters.
Jeanne's spear moved in wide arcs. Every thrust and sweep cut through the air. Rose's sword and shield were steady and precise. She blocked, parried, and counterattacked perfectly, keeping the monsters from breaking the line. The two of them cooperated smoothly despite having little practice together.
But too many monsters kept coming.
Jeanne could still move easily because of her higher Abilities, but Rose's defensive line was starting to shrink. The pressure was increasing.
"Ronan! There are too many! Should we move?!"
Jeanne's voice was clear even in the middle of the fight. She was asking for orders.
Looking at the defensive line that was about to break, Ronan took a breath.
He was not nervous. What he felt was the excitement he had been holding back for a long time.
Under his mask, his smile kept growing.
He had been holding back during the whole trip.
Walking with the large group, even if a few monsters jumped out, other adventurers would clear them. If they appeared right in front of them, Jeanne and Rose would handle them easily. This meant he had a huge amount of Mind in his body but couldn't even fire a decent spark.
To keep the pace fast and for the sake of the team, he had endured it. He had to look after Lorie and Aura, who were acting as supporters.
But now, the situation was different. He finally had a chance to go all out.
This wave of monsters was the perfect target to test his firepower and strength.
There was no way he would let this chance pass.
Besides, they had Aura's Magic as a final safety net for retreating. So, Ronan decided to face them head-on.
"No, Jeanne!"
Ronan's voice was filled with excitement:
"This is the perfect chance to test our team's coordination! Don't you think?!"
"Wait, are you...?"
Jeanne reacted as if she already understood him. She spun aside to avoid a swinging club. Her pale purple eyes widened as she looked at Ronan in disbelief.
"Exactly. It's what you think."
Ronan quickly gave out orders:
"Maintain the 2-3 defensive formation! Lorie, protect Aura! Aura, prepare your Magic and wait. If the line can't hold, support Jeanne and Rose immediately!"
"As for me..."
His gaze swept over everyone and stopped on Jeanne and Rose.
He swung his staff in a confident arc and said with a slight smirk:
"It's okay. Trust me."
Jeanne: "?"
You think I don't understand what you mean? Do you really think I don't know what you mean, jerk!
Jeanne's face darkened with embarrassment. In her annoyance, she thrust her spear with brutal force. The blade pierced straight through a roaring Orc's body.
"Oh my."
Rose skillfully dodged the spray of monster blood. She spoke in her usual gentle voice, sounding surprised:
"I thought Ronan was always the careful and steady type. I didn't know he had such a wild side."
Rose blinked, but her sword was merciless. She cut another Orc jumping from the side in half.
The contrast between her gentle tone and her brutal kills stunned everyone.
"It's starting! My fireballs aren't just for show!"
Ronan shouted.
The next second...
"Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!"
It wasn't a chant anymore. It was a rapid barrage of Fireballs.
Ronan kept firing without stopping, sending one Fireball after another into the monsters.
Every word from his mouth ignited his Magic.
Mind surged around Ronan, blowing back his hood.
The gem at the tip of the staff and his eyes lit up with blue light.
In an instant, fireballs, each one compressed and packed with force, shot out one after another. They tore through the air with a sharp sound.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The entire large room filled with white mist was lit up by continuous explosions.
The blasts roared one after another.
The shockwaves crashed together, creating hot air currents that sent rocks and monster remains flying. The entire space shook under the force of Ronan's Magic.